Binder



March, 14 19.750 E. A. FILLING 2,500,322

BINDER v Filed Feb. 11, 194s Patented Mai'. 14, 1950 UNITED ST TES PAT-EN OF'ICE 2,500,322- Eugene A. Pilling, Chicago, Ill.

l BINDER Applicationlietmany 11, 194e', serial No. 646,874

This invention relates in general' to a binder for v improved means for attaching the flexible binder to a cover; to provide a. resilient binding attachment for any association of loose leaves to be attached together; to provide a resilient holder for separating a part of the loose leaves for inserting other leaves therebetween; to provide improved means for expanding or contracting the binder; to provide an improved lockingy attachment for a binder of this kind; to unite and combine two or more resilient coil springs to form a. loose leaf binder; and in general to produce theconstruction herein shown and described.

A preferred exemplication and embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings infwhich y l Fig. l. is a part sectional View of'. a binder in accordance with this invention as applied to a plurality of sheets included in a loose leaf cover;

Fig. 2 is a topi view of the locking plate structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3' is a perspectivev illustrating the use of the take-off sleeve; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View illustrating the spring action of the binder for supporting a book in flat open position.

In` the loose leaf binders now commonlyl ein# ployed, having binding rings or` xed posts in-` cluded between spaced ends, the sheets or pamphlets therein are easily separated and held apart for reading, even close to the binding, when the rings or posts are not crowded. With the post type, even if the booklet is not filled, relatively stiff sheets do not remain in open position when the book is placedvvith its covers on a nat surface. But when these binders are crowded or are tightly filled with books or leaves, it is practically impossible to open them sufficiently for reading near the binding edge, a book lwill not remain open if placed with its back on a flat surface, and the leaves will tend to flop closed, losing the readers place, unless the book is held in open position.

The present invention is designed and intended to overcome the above objections' and to provide a spring expansion binder which may be enlarged or decreased` simply by threading one resilient part into another resilient part;being resilient, it will remain in open position when the book is placed upon a flat surface because the binding post willv spread in' an are which permits the leaves at each side of the' open point to lie and remain in open position and also to spread the leaves apart at the bindingv so that ther reading matter of each page is' easily seen,l even down tothe binding itself. This isv of considerable ad vantage because many sheets, booklets, and the like, not originally intended for' binding,l are placed in loose leaf books by others for thepurpose of filing or keeping vthem'in order, it being necessary then to pe'rforatel th'e booklets near the binding thereof' for inserting the binding devices of a loose leaf binder therethrough,

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, this invention is explained more particularly in connection with a binder having stiffV covers' 6 joined by a flexible back 'l 'and' with binding flaps 8 flexibly attached to the'y immerv ends of the covers. It is desirable to relesably hold' a variable number' of sheets` or pamphlets 9" in such a cover, the pamphlets usually increasingV` in number to' tax the capacity of the binder.

The pamphlets 9' are' provided with perfor-ations m to register with perforations` H inthe binding flaps' 8 and attaching means is applied thereto for binding' them resiliently together;

This' resilient binding comprises two hollow tightly woundgcooperating spirally wound spring sections I 2 and I3, one being of a size to nt tightly so that it may be threaded into the". other, the spiral winding of the wire forming. the springs also forming spiral'thre'ads upon which one section is threaded into the other. At the end oflone member, as I3', isl an enlarged head Informed' of the same wire wound spirally in the same plane. At the end of the other member I2 is a similar head I5. By inserting these spring sections I2 and I3 through the naps 8 from opposite sides and through the perforations II) of the pamphlets, and then by threading the section I2 within the section I3 the book and the binding may be varied as desired within the limits of the members, the engagement of only a few turns of one member within the other being sufficient to hold the binding members together.

In opening the binding to admit new sheets it is frequently desirable to insert a sheet or pamphlet at the center of or between separated portions 9a, and 9b as shown in Fig. 3. For this purpose a sleeve I6 of spirally -lwound wire having an enlarged head I1, may be provided which loosely surrounds both of the spring sections I2 and I3 but is disposed adjacent the smaller section I2 so that when the sections I2 and I3 are disconnected the sleeve I6 may be removed with the upper group of pamphlets 9a as shown in Fig. 3 without separating them, a sheet or sheets being then easily applied to the projecting posts I3 and the sheets remaining thereon. This sleeve is then included with the binding, the head Il being disposed between the outermost sheet and one of the naps 8 and held in place until another similar addition or withdrawal of sheets is necessary. As it does not engage the threads of either of the members I2 and I3, it does not interfere with the flexible bending of the binding as illustrated in Fig, 4.

In order to releasably hold the binding post members in place a clamping plate I8 may be provided for each one with a pivot I9 for rotatably attaching it to the flap 8 adjacent. In this plate is a slot 20 curved inwardly from one edge about the pivot I9 as a center and of a width to closely embrace the spiral stem portion of one of the members I2 below the head I5 thereof. At opposite sides of the slot are projections 2| struck up from the plate and having inclined faces 22 at the outer sides which engage the under side of the head I5 and tend to tightly engage it and the convolutions of the head as the plate is pressed in a direction to engage the slot 20 with the stem. When the locking plate is thus engaged the stem will not be easilyr disconnected therefrom as the plate I8 must be pressed to disengage the projection 2| from the head I5.

In any position the clamping plate does not interfere with the spring action of either of the post sections I2 or I3 and when a book with a binding of this kind is placed open on its back the covers will lie atly upon a plane surface as indicated in Fig. 4, the post sections flexing in the form of an arc or curve and the turns thereof even opening up slightly and spreading apart, depending upon the thickness or weights of the sections of the book at opposite sides of the opening.- Thus` the book will tend to remain open with the innermost leaves spread apart so that it is easily possible to see any printed matter, even down to the binding posts, and between the binding posts down to the binding or inner edge of the sheet itself, which is sometimes an advantage in reading the booklets or pamphlets bound therein.

If desired a spring lock washer 23 may be applied over the spring section I3 and against the inner side of the flap 8 through which it is inserted if it is desired to hold this section with its head in contact at all times with the outer side of itsflap. The spring washer engages the outer convolutions or threads of the spring wire 4 surface I3 and preferably may be disengaged from the spring section I3 by threading it out of the washer at any time if desired.

I claim:

1. In a binder for perforated loose leaf sheets, comprising a pair of covers having foldable perforated naps, a pair of headed resilient spiral Wire post sections inserted from the opposite sides through the perforated flaps so that their heads engage the inner sides of the flaps when they are folded inwardly and the stems are inserted together with a threading movement, fastening means comprising a lock washer applied over one spring section and against the side of the flap opposite the head of the section to hold this section in contact with the flap, and a locking plate for the other section pivoted to the ap of the cover and having an arcuate slot therein to embrace the stem of the headed member and having projections at the sides of the slot for engaging the under side of the head for releasably locking it in place in the slot, the plate being disengageable from the head so that that post section may be rotated into and out of the other relatively fixed post section.

2. A binder for a plurality of loose perforated sheets, comprising a pair of flexible spirally wound wire tubes each having a unitary flat spiral head at one end, the binder having perforated aps through which the stems of the tubes are inserted oppositely, the heads engaging the flaps at the relatively outer sides thereof and the inner ends of the tubes being threaded one within the other, means in connection with one of the flaps for holding the spirally wound head in connection with its iiap, means in connection with the other spirally wound tube for releasably engaging the head of the other spirally Wound tube, and a spirally wound shell with a unitary at spiral head at one end larger in diameter than both of the tubes inserted through the loose sheets and projecting over the extremity of the outermost spirally wound tube which telescopes over the other tube engaged thereby, the head of the shell engaging the inside of the flap which is releasably attached to one of the wire tubes so that a plurality of sheets may be removed with the sleeve when the binder is open keeping the sheets together for replacement upon the posts when the binder is closed.

EUGENE A. FILLING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,437,329 Wilburger Nov. 28, 1922 1,452,860 Wilburger Apr. 24, 1923 1,618,013 Johnson Feb. l5, 1927 1,830,961 Rabinof Nov. 10, 1931 

